Time to tackle Pandora’s box and challenge VAR

 

It’s Liverpool’s title to lose and fascinating to watch the Manchester clubs implode as so-called lesser lights challenge. So far it’s been a helluva season but here are my three wishes to make it even better in 2025.

Time to tackle Pandora’s box

A resolution, please, to Manchester City’s 115 charges, a case that seems to have gone on since City were known as the cock-up club in a previous life.

Actually, it’ll be two years next month since the EPL announced it was going after them.

But it is still way too long for something hanging over the whole EPL – not just City.

And it is now being seen as a possible cause of their implosion with Kevin De Bruyne admitting it has cast a cloud over their futures.

No one knows where they stand and City’s main rivals lodged legal notices against the club to ensure possible compensation claims would not be time-barred.

The allegations go back to 2009 and not long after the takeover.

City have already escaped harsher punishment from UEFA simply because the court process took too long.

So that lesson has been learned.

But it would only prolong the agony if City are found guilty and other clubs sue for recompense.

Who gets what and how much? These are matters that could take months to decide and that’s outside of an appeal by City itself.

And if City are innocent, the EPL may appeal.

Whatever the verdict, the legal saga is likely to continue into the following season.

This is an unacceptable impasse and surely a solution must be worked out before then for the good of the game.

It’s Pandora’s box but even wars end with people sitting around a table.

… and challenge VAR

Opponents of VAR might think its inventor has a lot to answer for.

Widely derided by fans as an infuriating blight on the game, even its supporters admit serious tweaks are needed.

But Paul Hawkins, the tech wizard behind Hawk-Eye technology, didn’t intend it to be used like it is.

He admitted it’s not perfect and thought a challenge system – whereby captains or coaches could question decisions as in other sports – would make it more acceptable.

But Fifa rushed VAR through for the 2018 World Cup before it was properly trialled and ruled out such challenges – which work well in rugby, cricket and tennis for example.

It’s not perfect but takes away much of the angst and reduces delays.

It would also achieve all it was meant to do in the first place – provide insurance against absolute howlers.

For instance, Luis Diaz’s infamous disallowed goal at Tottenham last season would have been appealed and been allowed to stand – providing Liverpool had not already used their allocation.

In the absence of any real improvements in speed or accuracy, a different approach is desperately needed.

Hawkins, who invented goal-line technology as well, never intended it for subjective decisions.

But with challenges, the burden on referees would be lessened.

As in other sports, some of the blame would be offloaded to the coach or player for not using the process correctly.

For instance, if the allocation was used up on appeals against yellow cards, there would be none left to query a wrongly disallowed goal.

It would be up to the coach or skipper to weigh up the chances and thereby introduce a new element to the game.

And it would probably require a dedicated watcher for each club.

Far from perfect but better than what we have.

Other tweaks could include the “daylight rule” where there has to be daylight between the attacker and last defender in offsides.

It would be clearer, faster and favour the attacker.

And the handball rule should revert to what it was before all this VAR nonsense.

Semi-automated offside should be introduced in the EPL as it works elsewhere.

A cup for Infantinos

Gianni Infantino is football’s version of Donald Trump.

The Fifa president is up there in the narcissist’s Super League alongside the US President elect.

He already has his name engraved – twice – on the World Club Cup – along with a brief eulogy praising him for concocting the event.

It’s the last thing the game needed – an enlargement of an existing tourney that Chelsea, Liverpool and City have won in recent years by playing just a couple of games in December.

This year it will last a month in the summer and comprise 32 teams.

After playing extra games in an elongated Champions League, players will have their close season drastically reduced.

And then they begin again with a season that leads into an even bigger (48-nation) World Cup in 2026.

With injuries and burn-out a major concern, it’s a trophy that nobody wants and for which there’s no need.

The players are knackered and it will never replace the Champions League in prestige.

Which is why Infantino struggled to find a broadcaster but was bailed out by Saudi Arabia buying a share of DAZN.

With their extra-large contingent, you might think Chelsea would be favourites but this is no laughing matter.

The players union Fifpro, is battling it, citing increased casualties from a fixture overload.

If contracts mean clubs can’t boycott the event, they should send their youth teams. A cup for Infantinos indeed. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.